Disappearing stairway



1933- F. E. BESSLER 1,936,929

DISAPPEARING STAIRWAY Filed April 4. 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

' FRANK 5355.31.51?

A TTORNEYS Nov. 28, 1933. F. E. BESSLER DISAPPEARING STAIRWAY FiledApril 4. 1929 2 sh t -s t 2 INVENTOR.

7 RA/VK L. BESSLER.

A TTORNEY5 Patented Nov. 28, I t t w v I masses 4 I i 1' DISAPPEARINGmnwn v Frank EfBessler, Akron, Ohio, assignor to The Bessler"Disappearing Stairway Company, Akron, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio 1; vApplicationApril4,1929. ,"Serial Nor352,555. I

' 2 Claims. (01 228550) This invention relates to disappearing stairwaysure '2), permitting openingand closing of saidfor cooperation with aceiling opening between, panel, and an extended position in which itvfloors or the upper floor anda roof of'a building. reaches the lowerfloor when the I panel 11 is The general purpose of the invention isto'op'en (Figure 1). Inorder to counterbalance the 5 provide aneconomical stairway construction stair structure when extended, aspring'drum 22,- 60, which is substantially self-balancing whereby awhich may be oithe type indicated bynumeral'29 minimum of operating andcontrol devices'are in- BesslerPatent No. 1,636,280, granted. 'July'required and yet which can be installed in any 19,- 1927, is mountedadjacent the pivot 16 for building regardless of the usual variations inthe stairway supporting arm 15 and the hinges 12,

hour to floor dimensions without afiecting the re it being shown hereinmounted-on the end of 65 quired ceiling opening. for. providingeflfective the opening 10 between the pivot 16 and the head room andwhich will be easily and safely hinges 12, preferably centrally of saidend, and. operable. J J 1 a flexible element wound onthe spring drum,.

A further purpose of the invention is to prosuch asa tape 23, isconnected at its free end to I 1 vide a stair structure of this-typewhich will not. thestair structure as indicated at 24;; 70 be subject toswayingand can be safely used as -As a'safety measure, one .or morelatches 25. an ordinary fixed stairway. v of a suitable designl arearranged on theilower.

The foregoing and other purposes of the in end of the stair structu'reto latch it inits re--- vention are attained inthe stairway installationtracted position on the panel to the bracket;

2 illustrated in the accompanying drawings and in engagement with'pin s.r describedbelow. It is to be understood-that the It willbeobserved'that .the weight of the up-7 invention is not limited to thespecific form per portion of the stairstructure 13 -which"'ex- 4 thereofshown and described. 'tends beyond pivot 16 when the stairway is re-.Ofthe accompanying drawings, 1 1 tracted counterbalances the weights 0fT'the 1 25 Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section,- lowerportion of the'st'air structure,"thearm 15. of a stairway installationembodying the invenand the panel. Whether or -not' it completely tion,the stairway beingin its position of use; counterbalancessuchpartsdependsupon there- 7 Figure 2 is a similar view showing thestairway quired length of-the opening 10, and consequentin itsdisappeared position; 1 ly the panel 11, as compared with the required3Q Figure 3 is a front elevation of the stairway length of stairstructure to-reach from .floor-to- 86= on line 33. of Figure 1; and 1floor when extended in a particular installa-v Figure 4 is a frontelevation thereon on line tion. In order that the stairway will. operate44 of Figure 1. I properly under all conditions, thereforerit .Referringto the drawings, the numeral 10 preferred to utilize means such as coilsprings 35 designates a ceiling opening between lower and 26, 26tensioned between suitablesupports, such upper floors of a building withwhich a panel 11 as arms 27, 2'7 on the upperedge of the opening 5 isadapted to cooperate to close the same, panel 10 andthe panelv l1, arms27 preferably reaching. 11 being hinged at one end of saidopening at 12.out over opening 10'as shown to obtain a desir- A stair structure 13which may be'provid ed able mechanical'advantage in the application ofwith a handrail 14 is slidably and jpivotally the tension forces of thespring. to the panel to mounted atthe end of opening 10 above the panelinsure that the panel will shut and carry the" hinges as by providing anarm structure 15 pivotstair structure upiwith it when the stairway is edat 16 on the upper edge of the opening 10 and retracted onto the panel.securing fittings 17, 17 on said arm on which are 7 To operate thestairway to its extended posi- 5 mounted blocks 18, 18 engaged ingrooves19 in tion (Figure 1) a chain 28 which may be susthe outer sides of thestairway stringers. The pended fromthe free end of the panel 11 ispulled v stairway 13 is also slidably mounted on brackets downwardly,the latch 25 released and the stair g 20 adjacent the free end of thepanel, swiveled structure pulled down to the lower floor. To blocks 21on said brackets engaging in grooves 19 disappear the stairway, thestair structure is 50 to slidably mount the stair structure and permitpushed up onto the panel, the spring drum 22 the slight relative angularmovement of the relieving the. operator of most of the weight stairwayand panel due to their swinging about thereof and it automaticallylatches in its'retheir respective pivots in operating the stairway.tracted position. The weight of the upper por- The star structureaccordingly is slidable betion of the stairway plus the force of thesprings 5 tween a retracted position-on the panel 11 (Fig- 26 whererequired is suflicient to pull the panel 11 shut, swingingthe stairwayup intothe ceiling opening with it. The installation, of course,

is so counterpoised that this action will be positive and yet not soforcible as to slam the panel.

The weightof the stairway when beingoperated is carried'by the upperfloor whereby the stairway is more easily operable than balancedstairways heretofore used and the panel hinges are not required to carrytheweight of the stairway. 7

It has been found that the stairways of this type as previously employedhave a tendency'i' to sway when in use which causes persons to besomewhat timidin using the stairway and may cause someone to lose hisbalance. It is also true thatstairways with open treads'are somewhatdangerous and have other undesirablefeaturesg It'has been found that bysecuring a riser to eachlower tread as by screwingit to the-backedgethereof at and rabbeting or otherwise inter looking it with orsecuring it to the stringers as I at.31'(Figure 3). and alsoflrabbetingit into or otherwise securing it to an upper tread as at 32 a strong,non-swaying stair structure is provided in which the disadvantages ofopen treads are also'overcome. I A l It will be apparent from'theforegoing thata simple, inexpensive and strong disappearing stairwayconstruction has been provided by the invention. Obviously modificationsthereof-may be resorted to without. departing from the spirit.

thereof or the scope of the appended claims.

.'What is claimed is:- I

L A disappearing stairway comprising means providing a frame for aceiling opening between floors of a building, a closure panelhinged atthe lowerpart of one end of said frame, stairway supporting means hingedat: said endof the frame 3 above the panel, a-support for the stairwaytoward whereby the stairway, ismovablebetween extendthe 'free end of thepanel, a stairway structure slidably mounted upon said hinged-supportand slidably' mounted upon, the support on the'panel ed positions andretractedfpositions on the panel and in the latter position is capableof swinging with the panel insc'ooperation with saidceiling opening,bracket/ means on said end ofjthe frame at,:each side of the stairstructure and extending,-

outwardly over the opening toward the other end thereof, springsattached to the outer ends ofsaid brackets and to-the panel at each sideof the stair structure, a vspring drum 'mounted on said frame beneaththe stairway support thereon and centrallyof said end of the frame, and

;a flexible element extending :from said spring drum and attached to thestairway, said springs counter-balancing the weight of the stairway andpanel when the stairway is retracted to hold the panel shut andsaid'spring drum counterbalancingjthe weight of the stairway when thepanel is swung downwardly, the yielding action of the springs and springd'rum'being independent ofseach other.

2. -A' disappearing stairway comprising means providing a frame for aceiling opening between floors of a building, a closure panelhinged atthe, lower. partof'one end'of said frame, stair-'- way supporting meanshinged at said end of the frame above thepanel, a support forrthestairway toward the free-end vof the panel, a stairwaystructure'slidablymounted upon'said hinged support and slidably mountedupon thesupport on V the panel whereby the stairway is movable betweenextended positions and retracted" positions on the panel and in thelatter position is 71 the two yielding ,meansbeing independent of eachother, the former; counter-balancing the weightof the panelrand stairstructure in the swinging ,movementthereof when the stair" structure isretracted on the panel and the latter counter-balancing the ,weight'ofthe stair structurein its lengthwise movement when being extended andretracted. 1 y l v w I v I FRANK EQBESSLER;

